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Monday, December 31, 2018

2018 Insiders Year End Review – Part 2

Now for Part 2 of our 2018 Year End Review… with lots to look out for and some great suggestions from our kidswear industry insiders.

Enrico Fragale Esposito – Digital Editor Kid’s Wear Magazine

Names to remember in 2018…

children’s fashion: I’d say the Japanese brand FITH, which I discovered last January in Paris. The mix between classic fabric and modern cut, sophistication and simplicity drove me crazy. I’m a huge fan of the Japanese wave in fashion, food, art… And I’d like to mention also Maison Mangostan for shoes. It’s not a brand new label from 2018, but their AW18 Visitors collection is brilliant, sparkling tones, eco-fur accents, rainbow soles… just waiting for them to grow up in sizes, can you hear me Maison??

online: The one-of-a-kind new Italian online magazine, Scimparello, born in July, the destination for never-stop-growing cool parents who want to discover beautiful tips regarding fashion, design, toys, meet charming people and see amazing stories within the pages.

other:Pierpaolo Piccioli, designer at Valentino, who put magic in every 2018 collection he created.

Something in the world: Ok, many things need discussion nowadays, but I’ll go for the current Meghan vs Kate fight. Two ways of attitude reflecting two aspects of the woman’s complexity. Two ladies who have given new course to the royal fairytale and business. Free, wit, charming, à-la-page, poshy and bossy, you choose the right adjective for each one.

Cultural hits:Sarah Moon’s exhibition at Armani Silos in Milan which took me to a fantastic dark world. Bohemian Rhapsody, the movie, which took me back to 70’s and 80’s which unfortunately I didn’t see. Lust for life, 4th album from Lana Del Rey, it was released end of 2017, but I’ve listened to it all the current year. It took me where I want to be: Mid-Summer California.

Lili Bettens – Kids Communication PR

The names to remember from 2018…

In children’s fashion: 2018 has been an interesting and great year for the brands I represent in the agency, KidsComunicación. We had the chance to organize nice events such as the Finger in the Nose Spring party in Paris to present the Simpson’s capsule collection and organise a meeting together with international stylists, bloggers, influencers that support the brands. We also visited Bellerose headquarter in Brussels together with MILK Magazine and Bea from Con Botas de Agua. Back in Paris, we organized a great conceptual Summer party, the “Follow the Duck Party”, with Tinycottons on the Seine. And we also travelled to London, Florencia and Madrid to present new brands of the agency: Belle Chiara, Liilukid, etc. It’s been a very busy year !!

On-line: We all know traditional paper press is in a difficult position and so, press is turning digital. It’s a big change for all the actors! Photographers, stylists, creative directors and so on have to deal with it and evolve professionally in this way. And I think they are doing great! Lately, very interesting new proposals were launched. Some new digital magazines emerged such as FOREVER YOUNG, MOTHER MUSE, AWKWARD WORLD, SCIMPARELLO, TANGEREENE and the new version of PIROUETTE ;-) ***In celebration of 10yrs***

Other: Something we have seen in several kids fashion brands is the launch of Women’s collections. Some are doing it like a mini me collection; other prefer to create a different collection more adapted to women’s fashion but matching with the kid’s pieces and the identity of the brand – Tinycottons as an example is offering it so that moms and sons can have a complementary look.

Something in the world currently that you want to comment on:
I see a real contradiction in people’s behaviour. On one hand, we see people getting more and more isolated from the rest of the world and closed to other people. On the other hand, other people are truly willing to share moments with other, to understand about other cultures and simply are opened to newness. I think we saw it clearly with open borders and migration issues.

The cultural hits of 2018: The environment awareness: I think this year, people really understood we can’t rely on politicians to reduce the impact and the consequences of our way to live on the environment. People are massively more conscious of this than before. It seems lots are trying to motivate others to change consumer habits in order to improve the ecological impact, with the plastic free living for example.

Football World Cup: As a Belgian person, I really felt both Francophones Belgian and Flemish were united under the Belgian flag which is not frequent… And it felt good.

Chanel fashion show at the Paris Fashion Week when Karl Lagerfeld took Chanel to the beach. I loved this as it was truly innovative and poetic.

A trend to remember: My favorite 2018 trend was definitely the colorblock. I really like this way to wear strong and bright colours to enlighten anybody’s style. There are very beautiful deep colours such as oranges or blues that are great to wear. I also appreciate the comeback of the 90’s inspiration that may be even stronger in 2019.

What are you looking forward to in 2019: This digital revolution that will force to redesign all the fashion industry. Not only for press but also communication people, commerce professionals… No matter the occupation, it’s absolutely necessary to be ready for it. In fact, we are working on a new project to offer a digital solution for the kids fashion sector… Stay tuned!

Lili Bettens, Kids Communication PR

Peggy Juche, Editor Lunamag.com & Paul et Paula

The names to remember from 2018…

In children’s fashion: Brands, I am quite drawn to Asian children’s wear brands this year and love what Wander n Wonder, for example. Hilda and Yuk Yee design colourful garments with great graphic prints. Very sophisticated but child orientated. Or the Japanese brand FITH. The quality of each garment is extraordinary, the fabrics are amazing and the silhouettes simple and yet stunning!

On-line:Drugstore Culture, a new arts and culture mag that also covers politics and is just a bit different without me being able to really say how and why. Ha! But I like it!

other: Very personal, but 2018 will always be in remembrance of my mum. She passed away in early February and is my person to remember.

Something in the world currently that you want to comment on: Brexit?! Um, no comment…

The cultural hits of 2018: The Frida Kahlo exhibition that took place at the Victoria & Albert museum this year. So inspiring to get some more personal views of her life.

A trend to remember: Sustainability. Shame it is a trend, but so good that is gets more and more attention as well as action. People are thinking twice before shopping, asking questions, researching origins and the effects on mass production. It is the right direction, never forget!

What are you looking forward to in 2019: Focusing more on local shops and brands as well as supporting small and innovative businesses. Also, the happy summer collections. There will be a lot of positive vibes, prints and sparkling colours.

Peggy Juche, Editor Lunamag.com & Paul et Paula

Feli & Pepita, Photographer & Stylist

The names to remember from 2018…

In children’s fashion: We love the vintage look and retro style of the spanish brand The Animals Observatory (TAO). Perhaps because it reminds us of our own childhood.

Francesco Risso, the designer from the italian label Marni impresses with his rebel style.
The small greek label Poupée by Christina Mathea impresses us with fresh designs and her courage to rebel against all difficulties and defy the economic crisis in the country.

Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci managed to lead the brand out of a dead end and to help it to a new contemporary image in a short time.

On-line: Instagram has become the most important tool, not only for the fashion industry. This has further accelerated the spread of trends and it leads to a new job profile, the influencer.

There are whole lot of new interesting online magazines, such as Coval Magazine, Re-Edition Magazine, the gentlewoman Magazine and OE-Magazine, to name a few.

Other: The new Tangereen Magazine, from Junior Style´s Romaine Coonghe, combines fashion and reportage and has an interesting approach to be read by children and parents together.

The Model Agency Tomorrow Is Another Day, from Cologne, run by Eva Gödel, is working for international high fashion clients and scouting their new talents on the streets.

Hedi Slimane is the new designer of Celine.

Something in the world currently that you want to comment on: We are worried by the backlash in social development. The worldwide spread of populism and nationalism, as well as the political, social and economic boundaries associated with them, have devastating consequences.
We hope for a strong united Europe despite the Brexit.

Although some countries seem to be reserved to the problem, there is hope that environmental protection will be promoted more.

The cultural hits of 2018:Music: The japanese all girl punk band TsuShiMaMiRe blowed us away at their gig at Sonic Ballroom Cologne. The video of Childish Gambino´s „This Is America“ shows that american Hip Hop still got something to say. Kendrick Lamar and Drake got their Grammys with good reason.
Euro Beat, trash and fun but still artistical and intelligent – the videos of russian artists Little Big are fresh. With „Skibidi“ they invented a funny dance and created a new “Gangnam Style”.

Art: As photographers one of the highlights for us was Paris Photo again.The exhibition of Malick Sidibé at Foundation Cartier, Paris, put a spot on african culture and photography.

A trend to remember: Netflix and youtube are the new TV. Plastic bags got banned more and more. Balenciaga and Prada promote the layering look. Marc Jacobs and YSL go for 80’s style.

What are you looking forward to in 2019: Hoping for peace. Can´t wait to visit Venice again for the 58th Biennale. A hot summer like in 2018. Photo shootings at beautiful places all over the world.
In fashion we are about to witness the comeback of the 90’s.

Feli & Pepita, Photographer & Stylist

Finally we’d like to thank all our readers and wish you all a very Happy 2019!!!!

Amongst other things Pirouette will be celebrating its 10th birthday in 2019 with the launch of a newly designed and updated website in January making it easier to access articles and news.